James makes a number of points about the higher H.I. breadth in team sports like football, where your response would have to be weighed against demands on the field. I’d say though that in football, you might find movement pattern speeds closer to topV with the line guys vs backs.
Here is where I question the present outlook on team sport training even in football as James explains. Creating athletes with the most resilient bodies and the ability to generate high output should be the goal. Whether an athlete’s position requires top acceleration or great agility skills (change of direction / stop and go), both require the highest levels of power to improve performance.
Traditional concepts of mental toughness training and repeated bouts of sub max output do little to improve performance. We are discussing ‘Gross Athletic Skills’ and not the many other facets of performance.
Using CF’s concepts of speed reserve and thus power and strength reserve would satisfy some of these other sport demands that seem to dominate in coaching and training methodology. As athletes improve their output (height of CNS) all activities below that level become easier (breadth), (reserves). I see this being continually overlooked and have had excellent success utilizing these concepts with NHL players.
James and Charlie what are your thoughts?
Between what you have pointed out and the structural abuse that is endured, it is for these reasons why the down linemen and interior big skill players generally demonstrate a greater loss of max strength as a result of seasonal activity than any other players on the field.
Nap, the ideas you have presented are well founed.
The reality, in my view, however, is that the scope of physical preparation of American footballers is far to narrow.
Here’s the reality, especially within the context of ‘gross athletic skills’ as you referenced, it is pitifully easy to improve an athlete’s, especially here in the US where the physical education and preparation model is non-existant, gross skills. The most challenging one to develop being sprint speed; but even this is relatively unchallenging to develop save for those who are already ‘very’ fast.
I state this because the fact is that trainedness of most western athletes is horribly low. This starts in early grade school and continues forward when kids arrive in the unqualified hands of their high school and collegiate conditioning and PE Instructors.
I have presented on this on more than one occasion.
So Nap, I agree that we must ackowledge the physiological support mechanisms that provide the foundation for the execution of other tasks and train those abilities correctly; however, as I’ve just stated, this is a relatively unchallenging task and the scope of the coach of physical preparation MUST widen because, especially with respect to the team sportsmen, their is far too little SPP present in the training plans of the conditioning coach.
Spring ball and training camp comprise less than 8 weeks of the 52 week anual plan. Are we to think that 15% of the annual plan is sufficient for the training and developming of technical mastery?
Absolutely not!
The conditioning coach, I speak from experience, spends more time with the athlete than any other coach on the staff. We also, have more than enough time to train abilities other than the general ones.
For this reason, the conditioning coach must possess the knowledge to effectively break down the bioenergetic/biodynamic profile of not only the sport but the specific positional requirements if he/she is in any way going to have a truly significant impact on the development of the athlete’s attainment of sport mastery.
Training to lift more, lift faster, jump higher/farther, sprint faster, improve work capacity FOR THE TEAM SPORT ATHLETE, is, speaking for myself, almost a mindless task.
Integrating the training that also serves to specifically enhance positional sport skill mastery; however, presents a much more worthwhile training problem.
Do I have it all figured out, certainly not; however, let’s recognize that the team sport athlete, my American footballers in particular, do not necessitate the same numbers as a world class powerlifter, weightlifter,thrower, jumper, sprinter. Because, first off, the time and energy necessary to develop American football skill and tactical mastery is far too consuming to think that these men can also outlift, out jump, and out run their world class Olympian counterparts.
While the training methods of these other sportsmen are highly moldable into the non-specific training of the American footballer, we, speaking for myself and those of the same position, must remain ever mindful that the training of these gross abilities comprises only a part of what is necessary to attain sport mastery.
The 15% of the training year is simply, in my view, grossly insufficient to expect to develop the other regimes of preparation to any appreciable extent.
What do have I have to say about those that do develop high skill levels within the current model- they are succeeding in spite of an incomplete model much like the myriad of other athletes out there who are subject to the training of less than qualified coaches.
The model must be improved and it is within the capacity of the conditioning coach to do it.
The 15% of the training year is simply, in my view, grossly insufficient to expect to develop the other regimes of preparation to any appreciable extent.
I think this is a VERY important concept in team sport preparation.
What was your solution to this James?
This is James, I created this name because I was having trouble logging in under my name.
by the way, does anyone else have trouble logging out of the site. None of my computers allow me to log off the site.
To your question: I integrate various SPP drills into the training.
I utilize the principle of Dynamic Correspondence (RE Verkhoshansky) with respect to constructing the various drills that serve to enhance the athlete’s skills at his particular position.
I should note that it is my responsibility to train the big and small skill players and Buddy trains the down linemen (Jumbo skill).
For a small skill player these SPP exercises may include drills to economize footwork and coordination/balance/positioning while changing directions or drills to improve the athletes skill at catching the football while traveling in one of many directions with one or two hands.
For a big skill player the drills may serve to improve the body position, balance, and follow through that is required when attacking or breaching the line of scrimmage.
There are many drills depending on the athlete’s particular need and the number of repeats and duration of rest intervals changes depending on where we are in the annual plan.
During this past off-season we were only able to instruct the most fundamental of training exercises because we (Buddy and I) felt that the players were in a very poor state of general physical preparation in addition to very low trainedness. We had to be painfully rudimentary in our approach because the level of preparation was so low.
Starting in January a great deal will change because the guys now have a year of training with us under their belts and they’ve progressed a great deal.
Regarding my work at the high school level prior to my arrival here at PITT. I integrated these types of drills most heavily during the summer conditioning prior to training camp because I only had 60minutes with the team in the mornings during the off-season.
here, however, much will be integrated into the training come January.
Buddy arranges our training schedule with the academic support personnel such that we work with 4 groups a day in two hour blocks. This ensures that we work with no more than 25 athletes at one time (this enhances the actual quality of training) and the two hour block provides sufficient time for training the various tasks.
Here is the write up I constructed for our program at the University website:
http://pittsburghpanthers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/strength-conditioning.html
i think you’re on the right track
To your question: I integrate various SPP drills into the training.
I utilize the principle of Dynamic Correspondence (RE Verkhoshansky) with respect to constructing the various drills that serve to enhance the athlete’s skills at his particular position.
So your solution was to incorporate specific training means soon into the preparation.
How do you consider this to be helpful in the matter of reduced time to develop “gross abilities” (biomotor abilities via aspecific means)?
Sprinterouge, just as in Charlies Vertical Integration model or the Block Periodization, I am able to adjust volumes according to where we are in the annual cycle.
This is where we must be mindful of training residuals (RE Issurin). The training volume necessary to retain different tasks differs. Regardless, it is of very little consequence to introduce retention volumes, no matter what the training consists of, into the training while emphasizing others. We must simply be mindful of the magnitude and type of stressor when formulating the taxonomy of the training week.
Furthermore, we must consider the preparation of the athlete.
Example: I have many players that are, now, more than maximally strong enough and their work capacity is very strong. As a result, they need only retain these abilities and the remaining volume of training time is spent on training more relevant and needed, in their case, tasks.
As we know from Charlie’s model, the volume of training time spent on various tasks can be quite low when the tasks are intensified at a fairly frequent basis.
As I stated earlier, the training and development of gross abilities is very easily accomplished. Granted, when Buddy and I arrived at PITT the beginning of this year (I came in a few months after Buddy) we focused the very basics leaving little room for SPP drills; however, I’d like to think the situation we walked into isn’t commonplace because our guys were so unprepared in so many ways it was almost unbelievable.
The foundation is now set and we can begin to specialize earlier.
Just as Bondarchuk and other great Russian coaches have written, the GPP, even for developing sportsmen, must include certain special prepatory training in order that the motor potential is fully realized during the contest period.
As a result, we know that the GPP must reflect certain aspects of the competition requirements and not remain entirely non-specific.
This is consistent with Charlie’s model as well as many others. Consider Charlie’s GPP. While the 100m sprinter may not be running all out 100m sprints early in the GPP, he/she is still sprinting, at 95% or above, to one distance or another- as short as the accelerations may be. Consequently, a permutation of the competition exercise (100m) is being drilled very early in the year.
Similarly, while my American footballers are not practicing their SPP in its entirety (as in sport practice)- they are drilling permuations of the SPP very early in order that a more concrete foundation is generated which, correspondingly, provides for a higher potential to be realized come spring ball and training camp.
James…great info!
Could you possibly post a template workout your athletes did in the past year (as you stated previously) and how the workout will change for the next year.
ESTI,
At any given time we have approximately six programmes going on at once (freshmen linemen, freshmen skill, varsity linemen, varsity skill, starting skill, scout skill) , not including the vast amount of individualization that we do based upon rehabs and one peculiarity or another.
Buddy runs a virtual injury clinic because of his extensive rehabilitative/orthopedic knowledge.
Furthermore, the template, training week, number of workouts, length of workout, emphasis of training changes from block to block, or month to month in school calendar terms.
Lastly, with respect, I don’t post actual training on public forums because the possibility of presenting the material in a manual, or some other format, is always imminent.
I understand, thanks.
James,
Thank you for your answer.
As I stated earlier, the training and development of gross abilities is very easily accomplished
I thought you wrote the opposite was the case because of time restraint. My bad.
The foundation is now set and we can begin to specialize earlier.
This is an interesting approach. In the eastern literature they suggest an earlier specialization coming in a matter of years rather than from one year to another, but I trust your judgement regarding when to start it with your guys: you are the one who sees their progress.
Just as Bondarchuk and other great Russian coaches have written, the GPP, even for developing sportsmen, must include certain special prepatory training in order that the motor potential is fully realized during the contest period.
How long is your whole preparatory period?
In soccer, for istance, we have a very short preparatory period (4-6 weeks) so it’s compulsory to introduce special means as soon as possible.
I not so much agree with such approach with individual sports with long preparatory periods. Obviously we can still play with the length of the GPP.
That was my interpretation also - I’m confused now!?
Why is it essential to include special means as soon as possible if your athlete has just spent xx weeks using special means? Why not just play football all year round?
Why is it essential to include special means as soon as possible if your athlete has just spent xx weeks using special means? Why not just play football all year round?
That’s pretty much what we do.
I realize how I confused you, I wasn’t clear enough.
It’s true, had we had even more hours to train our groups (perhaps two 120minute blocks in a day) we could have included SPP drills in the training despite the large volume of general work, and time in general, that was required to teach the most basic movement of skills and improve the most basic of capacities.
In reality, as I stated, we have it arranged so that we do have a good amount of time (120minutes) with each group. I realize that this isn’t much time in reference to working with Olympians who may have the opportunity to train all day; but in the American collegiate setting it’s pretty good.
Having established the working platform this past year, the 120minutes is now sufficient to train aspects of SPP along with all other qualities along the continuum of non-specific to specific.
Yes, the literature discusses specialization occuring over a course of years; however, in this case an interesting situation exists:
My athletes have endured specialization since their early teenage years and some even earlier, and in most cases the early specialization in American football yeilds negative results.
Why?
Because there is no coaching qualification model. As a result, the athletes begin practicing sport early yet the lessons taught and the physiological environments they are exposed to are typically unappropriate (eg lactic training for pre-adolescents, excessive collisions, and so on).
So what we have is almost the worst case scenario: Early and misdirected specialization, little to no GPP training early in life.
Sprinterouge the reality is that my country has it almost completely backwards. We specialize to early and generalize too late.
So, in my position, working with Division 1 College American footballers(who are 18 to 23/24 years of age) I have the following problems to resolve:
- correct the ineffeciencies that have resulted from the misdirected early specialization
- correct the inefficiencies that have resulted from the absence of proper general preparatation
The latter, I think we’d all agree considering the ‘relative’ time available to train in a day, must come first. As a result of most of my athletes hereditary gifts, they learn relatively quickly (though not all of them). So one training year is generally sufficient to resolve the general corrections at this level (of course there are exceptions).
From here we will continue to address the general yet because of the progress- we require less time in a day and as a result there is time to integrate various aspects/permutations of the SPP.
We essentially have two prepatory periods because we have a very demanding training camp in March (spring ball)
January to last week in March is first phase of off-season.
Mid April through July is second phase of off-season.
Steve, the answer is because ‘special’ is a big word, though not quite as encompassing as ‘general’
I consider general- general specific- specific
So the SPP introduced early is general specific then evolves to as specific as we can get short of banging it out in pads just prior to the camps in order to ensure a smooth transmutation- i.e. as little adaptation or re-adaptation stress as possible.
SPP training for the various sport disciplines can include a great deal of training exercises void of the intensity and demand of practicing the actual sport.
James would you say the most opportune times to improve these qualities would be June through mid of August (summer holidays) and Jan through May.
Can you develop a program for athletic development at you college during the summer holidays through your physical education department that would not violate any NCAA (No Clue About Athletics) I think that’s what it stands for, or (the SS) I meant the Compliance Officer at your institution. Focusing on the development of qualities necessary to perform high quality tactical maneuvers?
I also think with the inclusion of your vertical integration model you have an opportunity to manipulate some of the variables necessary to develop those qualities. Power reserve and speed reserve (acceleration) go a long way to improving athletes “endurance” or repeat performance of tactical maneuvers, and at a much greater out put level.
I would assume the quality of work would be more important at the college level than the quantity of work and all development models would reflect this. Regardless of what coaches wish accomplish in practice and training sessions, the human body adapts in a specific way, and training should move along side it and not against it.
Charlie, through your many years of consulting with team sport athletes (stop and go sports) what are some of your thoughts on some of the athlete development models that presently exists and recomendations for improving those models?